Virat Kohli wears his heart on his sleeve and is someone who gives as good as he gets. On the field, he’s this intense, animated character pushing the boundaries of excellence and raising the bar higher. As a player, it’s different but as a captain it turns everything around. A fierce competitor, a super achiever and having taken over the mantle in a really short span of time, Kohli is a go-getter in all aspects. It’s just that, as opposed to his immense capability as a player, Kohli has realised that the benchmark he sets for himself may be asking a little too much from the others.
That’s the difference between genius and talent.
But Kohli, though just 10 matches old as skipper, in his 41-Test career, is wiser and realises that personal milestones and landmarks aren’t what the team needs; it’s the consistency, rhythm and the aim of doing something good for a long period of time is what defines him.
Ahead of the West Indies tour, the 27-year-old Kohli revealed his line of thinking when queried on whether the high standards he sets for himself and a possible No.1 slot in the ICC rankings in case of a 4-0 series win is what drives him.
“There are different definitions of high standards. Our definition of high standards is not to become no. 1 in Tests. I don’t think any team plays for rankings. The main goal of a team is to play good cricket. That is something that we can control,” said Kohli on Monday at the Chinnaswamy stadium premises.
The Test skipper then elucidated his thought process saying becoming no.1 is an incentive, not the sole factor. “If you are no. 1 and not playing then some other team will take that spot. What is in our control is good cricket on the field and these are by products of that. If you play a Test series and become no. 1, that is another incentive. This is a format we will play regularly for some time now. This is an opportunity for the team to stay together and execute plans.”
In many ways, the four-Test series in the Caribbean will mark a watershed moment in Kohli’s career, given that outside of the sub-continent, West Indies will be the big, overseas series under his young leadership. And already he has two series wins under his belt.
“Every series for us is important. We don’t treat any series or any game differently. I know it sounds cliched and pretty boring but that’s exactly what cricketers think. To be successful, to be consistent, you have to be boring in the way you prepare, in the way you have your plans and I am sure he (Anil Kumble) can vouch for that.
“It doesn’t matter what the opposition is, obviously you assess them and you analyse what they do but at the end of the day, you are playing a game of cricket and we respect the game more than anything else. Obviously you can’t have disrespect for the opposition,” said the stylish batsman.
Just like Kohli the batsman puts a price on his wicket, Kohli the skipper goes into a match, irrespective of the situation, gunning for a win. And just like good players, he doesn’t take defeat kindly.
“Whenever you go into a Test match or a one-day match or a T20 match, your first intention is to win. There have been situations in the middle where we have also lost but we know that we must play positive cricket so that we can get into a position where we can win and we can also lose. You need to do things repetitively and that’s exactly what we think of any game of cricket. We want to play good cricket as an Indian cricket team and for us, home series, away series, every series, the priority is to win.”
Kohli in his tenure as captain had forged a strong rapport with former Team Director Ravi Shastri and unsurprisingly, insisted that a 100 per cent connect with the coach is of prime importance. And new head coach Anil Kumble, Kohli says, ticks all the boxes.
“Hundred per cent there is emotional connect. There is no doubt about that. For me, it doesn’t matter where the coach is from. What matters is how he treats the players, how he makes them feel comfortable and how much he can provide to the players. These are the three factors that you look for if you are assigning a head coach. That’s what I believe in. And Anil bhai obviously has all three in abundance.”
